The Problem with "Someday Maybe" Lists

[Dave Edwards]

Have you ever looked at your "Someday Maybe” list and felt completely overwhelmed? What started as a place to capture future dreams and ideas—learning a new language, writing a book, or traveling the world—has turned into an ever-growing, guilt-inducing black hole. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably added to this list for years, rarely revisiting it, and now you wonder: “Will I ever actually do any of these things? “

When my Someday Maybe list became unmanageable, I turned to David Allen, for advice. His response? Sometimes, you just need to let go.

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[Gardener]

I don't find Someday/Maybe overwhelming, possibly because I divide it.

I have 25 Someday/Maybe lists with a total of 908 items--and that's just my personal stuff. They're all in a "list" context that is On Hold, so I don't ever see them on a normal day.

The lists have titles like:

Finance Thoughts
Paperwork Thoughts
Computer Thoughts
Other Thoughts
Food Ideas
Travel Ideas
Garden Ideas
Sewing Ideas
Movies and TV
Other Media
Books
Gifts
On Deck

and so on and so on and so on. "On Deck" is for stuff that I think I'm actually reasonably likely to pick up soon--a prediction that usually turns out to be false, so it gets cleaned out periodically.

I also don't really bother to distinguish between actionable, reference, and in-between.

I know that the vast majority of those things will never happen, but that's OK; I'm happy to have them in the lists, so that they're there if I have the time and desire to pick up something new.

That doesn't mean that I don't delete things or compress things. I've stopped collecting perfume or blogging about perfume, so I no longer have a dedicated "perfumes to try" list--now the occasional perfume mention that makes me say, "ooh" goes in my "Shopping (theoretical)" list. When I go through lists once a quarter or once a year, I'll delete stuff. But the presence of that stuff wasn't really a problem.

 

[TesTeq]

The older you are your Someday/Maybe list gets shorter and more focused. Or at least it should. You realize that things take time and your time supply is running out each second, minute, day, month, and year…

 

[gtdstudente]

Appropriately clear Purposes help to keep Areas-of-Focus appropriately clear which helps to keep Someday/Maybe list(s) appropriately clear ?

 

[dtj]

It’s kinda splitting hairs, but some of the mentioned lists exist outside of my GTD infrastructure, as reference. For instance I have travel ideas in a single list that has a region and city/area hierarchy. When I hear of something interesting in say Croatia, it gets put as an item in Europe/Croatia, so in the event that I goto that area, I have a nice menu of things to choose from, rather than having to extensively research. Things like epic libraries or grotto restaurants don’t make top tourism lists.

It not like I have any stated intention of creating a trip to Croatia, but I may find myself in that area as a consequence of my doing other more intentional stuff.

 

[schmeggahead]

It’s kinda splitting hairs, but some of the mentioned lists exist outside of my GTD infrastructure, as reference.

First, I like the idea of creating a travel reference rather than someday/maybe related to areas. It really makes a strong relationship statement about it. I will only look at this list when traveling.

Second, I consider my reference system a critical part of my GTD infrastructure and manage it using the techniques recommended in the books. Using A to Z systems really does simplify my use of reference systems and any of the lists.

Clayton.

Confidence is "I know how to find that out" and "I know how to learn new things" and most importantly "I know when I don't know what I'm doing, so I stop and find someone who does"

 

[Instigase]

When my Someday Maybe list became unmanageable, I turned to David Allen, for advice. His response? Sometimes, you just need to let go.

Bob Sutton's sage advice (12 Things Good Bosses Believe) point # 9 is also applicable:

Innovation is crucial to every team and organization. So my job is to encourage my people to generate and test all kinds of new ideas. But it is also my job to help them kill off all the bad ideas we generate, and most of the good ideas, too.

 

[dtj]

Maybe put the project on a someday/maybe list after a month, and then just put it on your active list. If you don't complete a single subtask over the next coupla reviews, wholesale nuke it. If it doesn't warrant even a minor league re-negotiation to make a do-able task, it probably isn't worth the long term cognitive overhead.

 

[DavidAllen]

I'm with dtj on this--there's a fine line (if any) between reference and someday. Books I might want to read, movies I might want to see (or see again), restaurants to try, places to visit reachable by car, food I might want to cook...etc. ad infinitum. Great to capture all that, and perhaps build in a monthly review of some of those things...or whenever you might want the references.

 

[Oogiem]

there's a fine line (if any) between reference and someday.

So good to hear you say that because I've blurred the lines of reference and S/M for years. Lots of lists are both. I am, however, being a bit more rigorous in my quarterly big reviews at culling the items on my S/M lists and in my reference system.

 

[Jared Caron]

there's a fine line (if any) between reference and someday.

Once I came to grips with this nuance my process became much smoother. My someday lists are now in 2 "levels" - one that I review during most weekly reviews (which typically includes the "not now" projects), and another that I just store "what if" and "when, then" items in. I triage between them when it has my attention.

 

[gtdstudente]

Once I came to grips with this nuance my process became much smoother. My someday lists are now in 2 "levels" - one that I review during most weekly reviews (which typically includes the "not now" projects), and another that I just store "what if" and "when, then" items in. I triage between them when it has my attention.

@Jared Caron

Your appreciated GTD post prompts one to ask if your 2 "levels" could also perhaps be understood as 'active' and 'dormant' to streamline review ?

 

[samuelethan]

First, I like the idea of creating a travel reference rather than someday/maybe related to areas. It really makes a strong relationship statement about it. I will only look at this list when traveling.

Second, I consider my reference system a critical part of my GTD infrastructure and manage it using the techniques recommended in the books. Using A to Z systems really does simplify my use of reference systems and any of the lists.

Clayton.

Confidence is "I know how to find that out for Yowhatsapp for PC" and "I know how to learn new things" and most importantly "I know when I don't know what I'm doing, so I stop and find someone who does"

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by a “Someday Maybe” list that keeps growing. David Allen’s advice to sometimes just let go is powerful; holding onto too many unfinished dreams can weigh you down. Prioritizing what truly matters and releasing the rest can help you focus and make progress on the goals that mean the most to you.

 

[gtdstudente]

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by a “Someday Maybe” list that keeps growing. David Allen’s advice to sometimes just let go is powerful; holding onto too many unfinished dreams can weigh you down. Prioritizing what truly matters and releasing the rest can help you focus and make progress on the goals that mean the most to you.

@samuelethan

On this end, the one thing that has helped to keep the Someday/Maybe list, etc. from becoming unruly without stifling inputs for 'welcoming' Reviewing-&-Pruning is to have Someday/Maybe, Projects, Horizons, lists, etc. subdivided into appropriate Purposes / Areas-of-Focus lists for avoiding numbness

For suitability testing, one could use a one Someday/Maybe sheet of paper with AreaS-of-Focus lists sections within the one sheet and gradually allow any particular Area-of-Focus list(s) organically develop into its own 'separate' subdivided Someday/Maybe list to help keep undesirable overwhelm in-check for good Mind Like Water 'GTDing' ?

As you see GTD fit. . . .

 

[schmeggahead]

Prioritizing what truly matters and releasing the rest can help you focus

I remember taking the "What Matters Most" class that was top down. It was helpful in a different way. However, capturing everything and letting things go that don't truly matter works pretty well. If I culled it by mistake, it shows up on IN a few days later which means my relationship with it isn't taken care of sufficiently to get it off of my mind. Maybe why I'm letting it go? perhaps.

Clayton

"It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop." - Confucius